Annual Report
2019/20
www.AnimalsAustralia.org
Annual Report 2019/2020 Help for animals during a pandemic
Thank you Your determination and generosity are creating the kinder world that animals deserve.
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Contents Welcome from our CEO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Their kinder future is in our hands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Our vision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Our pathway, approach and values. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Our Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 We’re protecting animals globally. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Caring for the forgotten during a pandemic. . . . . 14 Hope among the ashes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Going the distance to stop live export. . . . . . . . . . 22 Focusing on the ‘invisible animals’. . . . . . . . . . . . 26 A voice for animals ‘behind the scenes’. . . . . . . . 30 A helping hand for wildlife. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Life-changing legacies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Financial snapshot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media
Annual Report 2019/2020 Help for animals during a pandemic
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This year has brought us closer
Glenys Oogjes CEO
It’s hard to reflect on the last 12 months and not be overcome by the enormity of the Australian bushfires, followed by the ongoing effects of a global pandemic. These events have had significant impacts on animals and humans, so we were also overcome with gratitude as you responded to these crises with compassion. It was humbling to witness supporters in the midst of bushfire evacuations also wanting to help affected animals, and to see those facing hardship during the coronavirus pandemic still committed to protecting animals who were also suffering. We continue to see an overwhelming demonstration of generosity and kindness from our donors, who remain by our side ensuring our work can continue throughout one of the most challenging years of our 40-year history. Over the course of this extraordinary year, we’ve also given animals inside factory farms a voice on national television. Our public awareness campaign beamed the forgotten faces of hens and pigs across television screens, reminding millions of their ability to think, feel and suffer like any other. Across the world, our investigations into the global live export trade resulted in major media exposés throughout Europe and South America. In Australia, we represented thousands of sheep in the Federal Court in an attempt to prevent them from being
shipped into the deadly Middle East summer. During the bushfire crisis, we fast-tracked your generous support to assist affected wildlife, and those helping them. And while fire recovery continued, COVID-19 lockdowns rapidly shut city streets and global borders, putting many animals in dire need. So we didn’t waste a moment determining where animals would be most impacted by this pandemic across various countries and how we could help them.
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...we didn’t waste a moment determining where animals would be most impacted by this pandemic across various countries and how we could help them.
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On behalf of our entire team, thank you for helping so many animals this year through your support of our work. With you by our side, we stand ready to tackle whatever lies ahead.
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Their kinder future is in our hands
Over the last 12 months, my team and I have been so proud to have seized every possible opportunity to help animals. And it’s certainly been a year of unprecedented challenges, and change. Your support has again enabled us to focus our attention where animals needed it most. As we continue our efforts to protect animals in the live export industry, we know that some may feel disheartened by the fact that it continues at all. But we know that every single investigation, legal challenge and media exposé you support brings us a step closer to the end of this trade. Trying to dismantle a business built on decades of suffering has never been easy, but these animals deserve better, and we will do everything in our power to fight for them.
Lyn White AM Director of Strategy
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This year, we launched a major legal challenge to prevent Australian sheep from being exported alive into the Middle East summer. Fuelled by our most dedicated supporters, the outcome of this case again highlighted a legal system that denies animals raised for food the same compassion, moral consideration and legal protection as other animals. As a result, these vulnerable beings who feel fear and pain are merely considered property, lives to be bought and sold, bodies to be brutalised. This cannot be allowed to continue.
This injustice will be the catalyst for a conversation that we need to have as a society. One that is well overdue, and questions how deeply and profoundly programmed we are to think about animals raised for food differently — and the consequences animals bear as a result. Fortunately, the power to change this lies not with governments, but with us, as individuals and communities, and indeed having this all-important conversation will be the major focus of our work and public campaigns over the next 12 months.
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...we know that every single investigation, legal challenge and media exposé you support is a step closer to the live trade’s social license expiring.
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I’m excited about this next transformative year and the change it will bring for animals. Thank you as always, for helping us create their kinder world.
Our vision A world where kindness, compassion and respect extend to all living beings.
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Annual Report 2019/2020 Help for animals during a pandemic
Our pathway We shine a light in the darkness and illuminate the pathway to a kinder world for all.
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Our approach • Provide animals with strong, ethical and effective representation • Enshrine kindness, compassion and respect as core human values • Heal the human/animal relationship by addressing the causes of animal suffering • Alleviate suffering on the widest possible scale by reducing the number of animals in food systems and the suffering of animals who remain in food systems • Contribute to building a strong, resilient and effective global animal protection movement
Our values Integrity
Compassion Innovation
Courage
Inclusivity
Commitment
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Our Board Animals Australia is a charity, registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. Our Board members offer a valuable suite of professional skills across animal protection, law, governance, finance, strategic planning and advocacy. In 2019 we adopted a new Constitution, which allowed for additional Board seats and longer three-year tenures, while also representing a shift away from a historical structure as a peak body for member groups. The updated Constitution better reflects how Animals Australia’s function has evolved over the past 40 years and will help us achieve our strategic goals for animals in the years ahead.
Strengthening Animals Australia Every day we strive to live our organisational values. Among them are Innovation and Integrity, and with those in mind, this year our staff and Board finalised a new Strategic Plan focusing in part on Board accountability and compliance, risk management, and achieving significant updated government compliance requirements.
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This has truly been a year of extremes, hugely impacting the welfare and lives of animals. I have been so grateful to see the committed support from our wonderful donors, supporters and advocates enabling rapid responses to help animals both in Australia and internationally. I thank my fellow Board members for working even harder in the face of these challenges; putting many hours into important governance discussion and decision-making. It is an honour to work with such a dedicated and skilled team of Directors. Additionally, my thanks must go to our CEO and team who work tirelessly to improve the lives of the animals with whom we share this planet. Tim Childs, Chair of the Board Tim works in the not-for-profit human services sector, to support boards with governance and strategic planning, as well as fostering organisational and team development. He has a background in animal welfare, including as the inaugural national animal welfare officer for Humane Society International.
Helen Marston Helen worked with Animals Australia and then as CEO of Humane Research Australia (HRA). She has had a life-long drive to improve the lives of animals, focused particularly on those in animal experiments. Helen holds a Graduate Certificate in animal welfare and produced and presented the ten-part community television series, ‘Animals Matter’.
The Hon. Melissa Parke Melissa held the Federal seat of Fremantle from 2007 until her retirement from politics in 2016. Prior to entering politics, Melissa worked as a lawyer for the United Nations in Kosovo, Gaza, Lebanon and New York. As a parliamentarian, she was an active and passionate advocate on social justice and animal welfare issues. Melissa is currently the patron of Native ARC, a wildlife group in WA. We are delighted to welcome two new members to the Board of Animals Australia:
Lynda Stoner Lynda has been a tireless animal advocate since the 1980s when she was President of the Humane Society of Australia and has since led numerous campaigns to champion the plight of exploited animals. She’s worked to help animals used for food and clothing, in ‘entertainment’ like rodeos and circuses, and those hunted for sport. Lynda is currently the CEO of Animal Liberation NSW.
Lorraine Jokovic Lorraine is the CEO and owner of the LOUD Communications Group and has over 30 years’ experience in marketing and advertising. She previously worked alongside Animals Australia on the iconic ‘Make It Possible’ campaign to raise community awareness of factory farming. Lorraine is also a board member of the Communications Council, and has actively engaged in a range of initiatives, including Chairing the Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee.
Christine Townend OAM Christine founded Animal Liberation in 1976 and co-founded Animals Australia in 1980. Christine is an author and poet and currently heads up Working for Animals, a charity which raises funds for animal shelters in India. She has been a leading animal advocate in Australia and India for four decades and previously served as Chair of the Board of Animals Australia.
Mark Pearce Mark currently serves as Interim CEO of Volunteering Australia and was previously Principal Consultant at Mandala Advisory. Driven by a strong belief in the power of compassion, Mark applies the expertise gained over his 27year financial markets career to now provide consultancy services to a number of leading notfor-profits to develop strategic engagement and advocacy proficiency. Mark holds a BSc. Politics and International Relations (Hons) and is currently studying for an MA in Human Rights.
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We’re protecting animals globally LIVE EXPORT Germany, Austria, Romania,
Our worldwide network of compassion is saving the lives of animals across countries and continents. From assisting wildlife who survived devastating bushfires only to face starvation, to providing veterinary care for ‘working’ animals in need during the COVID-19 pandemic, to sparing animals from the horrors of live export and factory farming. Thanks to our generous donors, together we’re creating a powerful global movement of kindness. Thank you.
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South Africa COVID EMERGENCY GRANTS Uruguay, Colombia
LIVE EXPORT Brazil
COVID EMERGENCY GRANTS Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Tanzania
COVID EMERGENCY GRANTS India, Nepal
COVID EMERGENCY GRANTS Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Philippines DOG MEAT TRADE Indonesia
BUSHFIRE CRISIS Australia
LIVE EXPORT Australia
FARMED ANIMAL PROTECTION Australia
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Annual Report 2019/2020 Help for animals during a pandemic
Compassion and Responsibility for Animals, Philippines
Caring for the forgotten during a pandemic
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Friendicoes, Delhi
Egypt Equine Aid
As communities and governments around the world rallied together to help people through an unprecedented global pandemic, there was another group that were also deeply impacted by the fallout of COVID-19 — animals. Thanks to the generosity of Animals Australia’s dedicated and compassionate supporters like you, funds from our emergency grants program quickly reached animals in need. As we saw borders closing rapidly and international travel grind to a halt, it was immediately clear to us that the situation for animals would deteriorate rapidly, especially for captive and working animals as well as those living on the streets, whose care and upkeep is dependent on tourist income or kind-hearted people feeding them. Your support has helped animals in Australia and around the world.
Our grants program has helped working donkeys, horses, camels, and bulls in Indonesia, Egypt, India, and North Africa, by ensuring that local projects had access to funding to continue to care for these animals at a time when their owners were likely to be without income.
Jakarta Animal Aid Network
Alleviating suffering of ‘working’ animals
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Helping animals in the captive tourism and illegal wildlife trade In Thailand, we’ve been able to provide hundreds of working elephants forced to carry tourists in ‘riding camps’ with food, and supported the work of a local NGO to deliver positive education programs encouraging more ethical ‘hands off’ tourism. In Colombia, Cambodia, Indonesia and India, our grants assisted NGO’s helping the animal victims of the illegal wildlife trade and other wildlife in need during lockdowns.
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Help in Suffering, Jaipur
Udayana University
Save Elephant Foundation
Annual Report 2019/2020 Caring for the forgotten during a pandemic
Providing veterinary care
Feeding hungry street animals
Grants have assisted our vet team on the ground in Indonesia to provide free vet clinics for street animals, aid local feeding programs for animals in need, and feed and treat working horses whose owners can no longer care for them.
Ordinarily, these animals rely solely on the kindness of locals and tourists for their meals, and treatment and rescue when sick. As global lockdowns closed usually busy streets, their fate was grim. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the dedication of our global colleagues, animals were protected from suffering in Lebanon, Indonesia, Palestine, India, the Philippines, Colombia, and Uruguay through street feeding, support for local shelters and mobile ambulance programs.
The daily operations of groups that rescue and rehome domestic animals in Australia, and ability to fundraise for their frontline work, have been significantly impacted by this pandemic. To respond to this emerging need, Animals Australia partnered with PetRescue to launch an emergency fund for animal rescue groups that are quite literally putting food in the mouths and roofs over the heads of animals in need.
Help in Suffering, Jaipur
Friendicoes, Delhi
Closer to home
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Annual Report 2019/2020 Help for animals during a pandemic
Hope among the ashes
Your generosity has helped animals affected by bushfires, and those who worked on the ground to save them. You funded search and rescue teams, feeding and watering programs and veterinary care for survivors who desperately needed it.
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What used to be vast bushland resembled a charred moonscape, but amidst the devastation we saw resilient and kind people helping animals everywhere.
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As Christmas approached late last year, bushfires engulfed the East coast of Australia at a speed and ferocity that was unprecedented. Smoke even hovered over capital cites for weeks on end — a vivid reminder of the destruction tearing through bushlands and townships, taking over a billion animals’ lives with it. When we flew into Mallacoota, a town severely impacted in Victoria, we were shocked by the scale of destruction and lives lost. What used to be vast bushland resembled a charred moonscape, but amidst the devastation we saw resilient and kind people helping animals everywhere. One resident stopped us on the street; his face sooty but bearing a smile. He wanted to tell us he’d just returned home to find his house gone, but his precious resident koala in a tree — alive. Survivors: Kangaroos in Mallacoota soon after the devastating bushfires. Photo by Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media.
At the peak of the bushfire crisis, we worked day and night to ensure that wherever animals needed help, we responded. Not a single action for animals during this time would have been possible without the generosity of Animals Australia’s donors.
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Help for animals Annual Report 2019/2020 Hope among the during ashes a pandemic
How your support helped animals during the bushfires:
Ensuring survivors had food and water
Getting expert vets to firegrounds
Providing food and water for wildlife
With the help of many caring community members, we funded emergency feeding programs for wildlife in fire-affected areas.
We deployed wildlife vets into some of the worst affected firegrounds across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. These teams worked tirelessly to help find and treat survivors.
With roads cut off to some towns, access to bulk animal feed was difficult. We chartered flights to deliver over five tonnes of food for kangaroos and other wildlife into regional areas of Victoria.
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Assistance for vets and volunteer wildlife carers Donations were quickly channelled to vet clinics in fire-affected areas to help facilitate free treatment for survivors. We also established a national emergency grants program to get funds to volunteer wildlife shelters and rescuers in need.
Providing vet vehicles to access animals We provided a fleet of rescue vehicles to vets on the ground to help find animals in difficult to access terrain.
Frightened, dehydrated and struggling to hop on burnt paws — she was the first bushfire victim rescued by Vets for Compassion, after our supporters helped fund their flight into Mallacoota.
Better protection in the future The death and destruction caused by the fires did not discriminate between native animals and all other species. While the outcome for ‘farmed’ animals was bleak — with many euthanised or sent to slaughter within days — no national disaster response plan exists for wildlife. Many injured native animals who had survived, were simply left to perish, some for weeks. It became abundantly clear that while the support from the community was strong, native animals within firegrounds were not afforded the urgent response at a state and federal government level that a disaster of this scale warranted. We engaged in emergency talks with decision-makers and political leaders, providing intelligence, proposals, and guidance to assist in their emergency operations, ensuring that the protection and preservation of surviving wildlife became a priority. Food drops for starving wildlife were at the top of this list. Our work in this space is ongoing.
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Annual Report 2019/2020 Help for animals during a pandemic
Going the distance to stop live export
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From South Africa to Brazil to Romania and beyond, you’ve helped expose live export cruelty and spare millions of animals from suffering on ships and in importing countries. Yet investigation evidence and exemptions granted to hard-won trade suspensions illustrate how vigilant we must remain.
It’s why this year we worked with colleague groups in countries around the world to investigate and expose live export cruelty; why we launched Federal Court action to stop live exporters getting an exemption to the new summer shipping ban — our efforts sparing a further 20,000 sheep from live export, despite the exemption being upheld; and it’s why we initiated major media exposés that captured political attention in Brazil, across Europe and in South Africa.
As frightened sheep and cattle are loaded onto live export ships around the world, thankfully they don’t know what awaits them. They don’t know that they’ll likely feel seasick, be forced to stand and sleep in excrement, struggle through suffocating heat and humidity and, if they survive the voyage, have their throats cut while fully conscious. They don’t know that the legal system that should protect them is broken and instead favours the commercial interests of a ruthless industry. But they also don’t know that caring people like you are doing everything possible to help. This is why — they are why — we will continue on this journey for as long as we’re needed.
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Annual Report 2019/2020 Going the distance to stop live export
Our investigators captured new footage of Australian cattle being brutally slaughtered in Indonesia in August 2019; forming the basis of a formal legal complaint to the Australian Government; one of several this year. Our investigators also uncovered the industry breaking live export laws in Malaysia and Kuwait. Thanks to the changes you have helped force on the industry in the past decade, live exporters can now be held legally accountable for what they do to animals. Yet, as this evidence highlights, there is a crucial ongoing need for our investigations.
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Compassionate people in Romania called for an end to live export as the European Parliament committed to an Inquiry into the future of the trade. This Inquiry — fuelled by our evidence and the tireless work of colleague groups in Europe — could be gamechanging for the hundreds of thousands of animals subjected to lengthy journeys through the continent and beyond each year.
The sinking of the MV Queen Hind, and drowning of more than 14,000 sheep, sparked an international outcry and propelled the ongoing efforts of our global arm, Animals International, to end live export from Romania, Europe’s biggest exporting nation. These efforts have so far seen proposed new laws introduced to the Romanian parliament which would restrict shipments during the dangerous northern summer months. Debate continues.
When one of the world’s wealthiest live export companies was denied Australian sheep due to the northern summer shipping ban — that you helped us secure — they turned to South Africa. But we are supporting the country’s NSPCA to lock in similar shipping restrictions. We helped expose the industry in the media, on Carte Blanche, South Africa’s ’60 Minutes’ equivalent and, so far, tens of thousands of South African sheep have been spared live export. We have also provided crucial evidence to support the NSPCA in their court action to stop live exporters taking sheep into the furnace of the northern summer period, and into countries where there are no animal welfare laws to protect them.
Our investigators joined forces with international colleagues to track Austrian and German dairy calves sold and trucked across Europe — and helped expose their brutal slaughter in Lebanon. This footage aired on a major German television program, sparking a public outcry and calls for the trade to end.
We also documented the terrible slaughter of exported Brazilian bulls, and then collaborated with one of Brazil’s leading animal protection organisations, Mercy for Animals, to expose the Brazilian meat companies that knowingly abandoned animals to a brutal fate. The scandal was revealed in a media exposé in Brazil and inspired a wave of community outrage and action.
Thank you for ensuring we could give these animals the representation they need and deserve.
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Annual Report 2019/2020 Help for animals during a pandemic
Focusing on the ‘invisible animals’
You have helped millions of Australians see and connect with the living, feeling animals trapped in factory farms — who have been deliberately kept out of sight and mind, until now. Here’s how our public awareness campaign is inspiring people to make kinder choices.
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A mother pig wants to rest her body, but all she’s afforded is a cold metal floor. A gentle hen tries to stretch her wings, but can’t, inside a cramped battery cage. When our groundbreaking “See Me” TV ad launched on national television and online we were overwhelmed by people asking how they could help. With the suffering of farmed animals at the heart of a food system that treats them as ‘units of production’, the benefits of people making kinder choices and eating more plant based meals is clear.
Sparing animals from factory farming Perhaps for the first time in our lives, as a result of COVID-19, many of us have understood what it is like to have freedoms we have taken for granted removed. Freedom of movement, freedom to do the things that bring us joy, freedom of choice. All of these impacts are felt each and every day by many millions of animals in factory farms in this country, from the moment they are born, until their final day. Factory farming, and all the suffering it entails for individual animals, will continue until the consumer demand for the products their bodies produce is reduced. That’s why a critical part of our advocacy on behalf of these animals is supporting people who are interested in cutting out or cutting back on meat. Helping people enjoy more plant-based food is the most direct route to bringing an end to the cruelty of factory farming.
Dumping cruel cages for good Overwhelmingly, Australians want to see a ban on the battery cage — and so do we. We have been speaking out for hens during the review of national welfare laws that could make this a reality. The battery cage is without a doubt one of the cruellest farming devices ever invented. Typically, five or more hens are confined in each cage, forced to stand, sleep and lay their eggs on a wire mesh floor that can damage their feet, break their claws and rub their feathers to bare skin.
Though ‘domesticated’ over many generations, a hen’s natural instincts never leave her. Roosting, building a nest and laying her eggs in private, foraging and dust-bathing: these are the simple and essential needs that the cage egg industry denies hens. We will continue to work every angle to banish the battery cage, for good.
Ending legalised suffering The first day of life for a male chick born into the egg industry is also his last. Since they can’t lay eggs,
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Annual Report 2019/2020 Focusing on the ‘invisible animals’
male chicks are considered ‘worthless’. So, every day in hatcheries they’re sorted from the females and dropped into giant metal grinding machines or gassed to death. Male and female chicks born into the chicken meat industry face a similar fate if they aren’t considered ‘viable’. Perhaps most shocking is that this treatment of vulnerable, baby animals is all entirely legal. That’s why we’ve been working on an innovative way to bring this truth to light and show people how they can help these animals.
Inspiring companies to make kinder choices Thousands of Animals Australia supporters spoke out for animals this year, helping convince National Australia Bank to develop an animal welfare policy — a first for Australia’s ‘Big Four’ banks. Their policy covers a range of issues from animal testing to fur farms to requiring animals be given pain relief when subjected to invasive procedures. While our focus has turned to strengthening this policy commitment, NAB has set a critical and paradigm-shifting precedent in acknowledging that animal welfare must be a key factor in their lending decisions.
Encouraging compassion in the kitchen Our campaign to protect farmed animals from cruelty is supporting millions of people to make kinder choices, by providing plant-based recipes and resources.
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Thanks to your support, this year we were able to launch over 100 animal-friendly delicious recipes on VegKit.com and run inspiring television ads during top-rating programs like ‘Masterchef’, ‘My Kitchen Rules’ and ‘The Project’. We also partnered with bestselling magazines Taste and The Australian Women’s Weekly to showcase some delicious plant-based meals during Christmas time.
We reached
1 MILLION
MasterChef viewers with veg food ideas
483,000 people have found food inspiration on VegKit.com
30,000 people have ordered our Veg Starter Kit
Our veg ‘food hacks’ and videos have had
7.1 MILLION views online
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A voice for animals ‘behind the scenes’
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Many of the decisions that affect animals on the largest scale are made in company boardrooms, government committees and industry meetings. Thanks to your support, we can be there so animals have someone on their side — speaking out for them and against cruelty. This year our work to strengthen legal protection for animals has had a significant impact. Animals Australia’s CEO, Glenys Oogjes, has helped secure some major changes in Victoria’s animal welfare regulations, and is contributing to state government Animal Welfare Advisory Committees in Tasmania and Victoria, with both states undertaking major reviews of legislation. Wildlife, farmed animals and
Australia is a member of the Live Export Animal Welfare Advisory Group. This year, our submissions to the Australian Government outlined the dangers of heat stress in support of the Northern summer ban on sheep shipments; and we also provided detailed information on improving the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL), in lieu of ending the trade entirely which is, of course, our ultimate goal.
Protection for farmed animals
We also represented animals in the Federal Court when we challenged the lawfulness of a decision by Australia’s live export regulator to provide a live export company with an exemption to the newly minted northern summer sheep shipping ban. It was immensely disappointing when this exemption was upheld. However, our collective efforts over weeks ultimately spared 20,000 sheep from making this dangerous journey.
• H ens confined in battery cages and other farmed birds during the ongoing and very delayed Poultry Standards review
Animals Australia’s CEO, Glenys Oogjes, has helped secure some major changes in Victoria’s animal welfare regulations, and is contributing to state government Animal Welfare Advisory Committees in Tasmania and Victoria, with both states undertaking major reviews of legislation.
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animals used for experimentation and entertainment will all receive long-awaited, better protections. Our efforts to protect animals within the live export trade from Australia continued at a legislative and national stakeholder level. Federally, Animals
This situation reinforced the stark lack of legal protection afforded to animals raised and killed for food, and has only deepened our determination to create reform, and provide them with the strongest possible representation. Thank you for making these efforts possible.
Animals Australia represents animals in the national Stakeholder Advisory Group that provides direct input to the development and review of standards used by animal production industries. Through our input into the Australian Standards and Guidelines for Farmed Animal Welfare, we are acting on behalf of:
• P igs whose living conditions and husbandry standards will be considered as part of the Pig Standards review, due to commence in late 2020. Our corporate engagement team has also secured progress for hens, both in Australia and through working with the Open Wing Alliance — a coalition of dozens of animal protection groups from around the world. Hundreds of thousands of hens will be spared life in a cage thanks to commitments we’ve negotiated over the past year from Allied Pinnacle — the largest bakery supplier to Coles and Woolworths, and major foodservice distributor, Bidfood Australia and other companies.
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Annual Report 2019/2020 A voice for animals ‘behind the scenes’
Animals used for ‘entertainment’ Over the past year we have also provided input into reviews of state animal protection laws and regulations, including: • Horse racing laws in Queensland • Animal welfare laws in Northern Territory • A nimal welfare and activism laws in Western Australia • Greyhound racing laws and use of battery cages in New South Wales • NSW animal welfare laws: Animal Use in Research Act, Exhibited Animals Protection Act, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
Wildlife protection On behalf of native animals, we also made major submissions relating to:
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• Protection of koalas in blue gum plantations — working group of the Office of the Conservation Regulator.
Supporting Indonesian animal advocates Following our work to expose and end the dog meat trade in Bali, our local team has continued to spearhead programs that improve the lives of animals. And the emergence of an Indonesian animal protection group — Bali Animal Defenders — has the future for animals on the island looking even brighter. Animals Australia is funding their legal advocacy work and our team in Indonesia assists them on the ground. We’re also:
• Commercial killing of kangaroos — review of the national Code of Practice
• Helping the helpers: providing reusable cloth masks for people who are not able to afford them, as well as to volunteers who are feeding animals during lockdowns;
• Animal welfare during bushfires — NSW & VIC Inquiries; Royal Commission; Federal Parliamentary Inquiry into bushfire response
• Responding to the pandemic: Running feeding programs for animals in need during COVID-19;
• Protection of native species and environment — review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)
• Looking out for dogs: We are closing the very last of Bali’s dog meat outlets and ensuring that the 74 we have closed do not reopen, as
well as working with the vet schools at Udayana University in Bali and Murdoch University in Western Australia on an ear-tagging identification project for dogs to show they have been vaccinated against rabies; and
Lambs in Victoria will now need to receive some pain relief when the base of their tail and the skin around their buttocks is cut off with a pair of metal shears during mulesing. Victoria is the first and only Australian state to require any pain relief for the procedure.
• Speaking out for pigs: Securing better standards and stronger laws to help pigs in Bali’s slaughterhouses.
International partnerships We are stronger together and we are proud to collaborate with committed advocates all around the world towards our common goal of forging a kinder future for animals. These key relationships include: • Live export from Europe and monitoring land transport of animals — as a member of Eurogroup for Animals • Advisory input to the World Organisation for Animal Health — as a member of International Coalition for Animal Welfare (ICFAW) • A nimal welfare in relation to Australian exports, like transport guidelines, painful procedures for farmed animals, and treatment of wildlife including kangaroos — providing input into the ongoing EU Free Trade Agreement consultations.
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Annual Report 2019/2020 Help for animals during a pandemic
A helping hand for wildlife The impact of droughts and bushfires has taken its toll on Australia’s precious native animals, which is why our work to protect them is as important as ever. Your support has helped wildlife needing care after the fires, defended animals from shooters, and is fuelling paradigmshifting work to raise the priority given to animals in times of disaster.
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Stronger legal protection Animals Australia provided input into one regulatory and two legislative reviews for wildlife: one to better protect threatened species, one to protect kangaroos who face cruel treatment within the commercial shooting industry, and one to better protect koalas in blue gum plantations.
Koalas and their joeys were killed and injured on a property in South-West Victoria when the blue gums they called home were bulldozed to make way for grazing. With your support we took urgent action to help them and ensure those responsible are held to account.
We participated in the working group convened by the Office of the Conservation Regulator (Victoria) to review and strengthen regulations around the protection of koalas in blue gum plantations. We also called on the government to better protect wildlife through our submission to the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC). The need for changes to this Act to protect vulnerable species, and to State wildlife protection regimes, were tragically highlighted during a situation we became aware of in January 2020 on a property in South-West Victoria. Many koalas and their joeys lay dead and dying, after the trees they were living in were cut down and bulldozed to make way for grazing sheep or cattle. We deployed vets and our Legal Counsel to the scene, secured evidence to lodge an official complaint, and supported a dedicated local carer to help those who could be saved.
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Annual Report 2019/2020 A helping hand for wildlife
Tamara Kenneally Photography
Protection from shooting After the devastation of the 2019/20 summer bushfires, our country’s unique and precious wildlife needed us more than ever. In the immediate aftermath of the fires we lobbied to put a halt to recreational and commercial shooting of the animals who had survived such a catastrophic event. While the world watched on in despair for our wildlife after the bushfires, we shone an international spotlight on the cruelty of the kangaroo shooting industry, including urging millions of caring Australians to make their views known through a governmentsponsored survey. Our submission to the review of the national Code of Practice for the commercial killing of kangaroos highlighted the inherent cruelty in a wildlife slaughter that occurs at night, in remote locations and away from official monitoring; and the high rates of injury and resultant suffering of adult kangaroos and, sadly, joeys who are too often left to slowly die from starvation or predators. And thanks to committed Animals Australia supporters, the consistent feedback to members of State Parliament calling for an end to duck shooting in Victoria is also influencing internal political debate about the future of this so called ‘sport’. We will keep the campaign pressure up for native waterbirds who deserve to live in peace on the wetlands.
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Greater protection during disasters Australia’s bushfire crisis highlighted to us the critical ‘gap’ in emergency management in disaster situations for animals nationally. It’s likely that many thousands, if not millions of animals, endured painful, extended deaths, without any human intervention to mitigate their suffering or assess their chances of survival with treatment. With the support of donors to our bushfire appeal, Animals Australia is addressing this gap by continuing to work with the veterinary community and government agencies to implement better emergency responses. We hope that our continued
work in this area will create a paradigm-shift in terms of the consideration and priority animals are given during times of disaster.
Helping the helpers In the immediate aftermath of the bushfires, our emergency grants program provided support to wildlife in need, and those helping them. Across the country, we assisted wildlife carers and rescuers in their tireless efforts to care for native animals who had been injured or left homeless by the fires.
Thanks to committed Animals Australia supporters, the consistent feedback to members of State Parliament calling for an end to duck shooting in Victoria is influencing internal political debate about the future of this so called ‘sport’. We will keep the campaign pressure up for native waterbirds who deserve to live in peace on the wetlands.
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Annual Report 2019/2020 Help for animals during a pandemic
Life-changing legacies The generosity of gifts in Wills enables us to significantly increase the impact of our work for animals. They create opportunities that we would not otherwise have. As always, we are committed to honour the trust placed in us and we will utilise these precious gifts to inspire action and change for animals.
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Remembering Shirley We pay tribute to Shirley Brine from South Australia, who passed away this year.
“
Leaving a legacy, for me, is a wonderful feeling that while I do my best to stop pain and suffering of animals now, I also get to keep on doing it when I’m gone. Somehow my journey has been worthwhile....
”
ANNETTE, QLD
Shirley provided critical foundational funding to Animals Australia in the first years that our CEO, Glenys Oogjes, and Director of Strategy, Lyn White, came to work together, during a period when Animals Australia’s work was little-known. Her faith in Lyn’s and Glenys’s ability to create Animals Australia’s vision, and her own desire to see it fulfilled, led to her significant ongoing financial support over 18 years which, crucially, enabled us to conduct our first overseas live export investigations.
Throughout Shirley’s life it was the animals, and those who dedicate their lives to them, that mattered most to her. Our everlasting gratitude goes to Shirley. We would also like to acknowledge Animals Australia’s supporters Sheree Sellick and Shirley Summerhayes who provided Shirley with support and friendship in her final years. We extend our condolences to the families of all the friends and advocates we’ve lost this year. By remembering animals in their Will, and leaving a bequest to Animals Australia, they’re helping animals beyond their lifetime.
In memory and sincerest thanks: This year, we received bequest and memorial donations from compassionate people we knew well and will miss terribly, and some we never met, but wish we had. Not a day passes without us reflecting on these wonderful people and their extraordinary acts of kindness that will help animals into the future.
• Ms Angelika Timms
• David and Judy Moate
• Judith Priscilla Gleeson
• Ruth Anne Jones
• Annie Roman
• Joyce Lawton
• Mr Trevor Boyd
• Beverley Murcia
• Ernest Victor Arthur Bowden
• Ms Lee Bickford
• Theodore Lillicrap
• Christine Audrey Fogg
• Professor George Palmer
• Ms Lynette Joy Walker
• Vivienne Ross
• Mr Conway Jeffrey Jones
• Mrs Helen Tilley
• Miss Mary Trevenar Rowe • Yvonne Bain
• Mr Cecil Edwin Heal
• Ms Juliet Amanda Field
• Ms Margaret Wakefield
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Financial snapshot None of our work for animals would be possible without individual donors. Unlike many other animal protection organisations, we receive no government funding. Every dollar we use to help create change comes directly from individuals who care about animals. Your generosity is what sustains us and we’re so grateful that we can help animals on your behalf.
Monthly gifts
Generous bequests
The ongoing commitment of our generous monthly donors underpins every strategic decision we make and helps animals every day. This year, our regular givers have helped us rapidly respond in emerging situations where animals have needed us most. You have deployed investigators to the field, channelled urgent support to animals in dire need during the global pandemic, responded to those suffering in the aftermath of the bushfires, reached more people with a message of compassion through our public awareness campaigns, and all while enabling us to ensure long-term goals will be achieved.
The generosity of animal advocates who have left a gift in their Will this year provides certainty for the animals who need us; that we can be there for them and continue creating much-needed change in challenging times. Thanks to these and other committed supporters, Animals Australia can focus on thinking strategically about how to best help animals — allowing for bigger projects with a greater impact than would otherwise be possible, including supporting the critical frontline work of other animal protection groups in Australia and globally.
Agile response Like many charities around the globe, we have had to shift priorities and respond to fast-moving emergencies this financial year. Plans for public awareness campaigning and international investigations had to quickly evolve due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, and our 2019/20 financial statements reflect that need to redirect funding and update our strategy in an agile manner.
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Finance & governance To provide financial transparency and maintain our charity status we are audited every year by DFK Kidsons. This process ensures we remain accountable for every dollar of our donors’ money and ensures that all activities are focused on our purpose: creating a kinder world for animals. This year we also invested in further compliance, Board governance and organisational strategy to futureproof the organisation and provide the biggest impact for animals in coming years.
26% Donations - Campaign Specific
24% Monthly Giving and Membership
INCOME
1% Investment Income 3% Non Government Grants & Other Income
46% Bequests
INCOME
2019/20
Monthly Giving and Membership
$5,039,655
24%
$5,174,095
37%
Donations - Campaign Specific
$5,372,653
26%
$2,669,243
19%
Bequests
$9,539,027
46%
$5,459,114
39%
Non Government Grants & Other Income
$573,315
3%
$383,727
3%
Investment Income
$211,658
1%
$236,738
2%
$20,736,308
100%
$13,922,917
100%
2018/19
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Annual Report 2019/2020 Financial snapshot
Australian bushfire emergency response
9% Finance, Governance & Management
Unprecedented “megafires” over the 2019/20 summer demanded an equally unprecedented response from Animals Australia and the broader Australian community — reflected in this significant proportion of our financial record this year. We quickly reworked campaign plans and channelled urgent funds to deploy vets on the ground to assist animals in fire-affected areas during the emergency period, and continue to provide ongoing help through feeding programs and wildlife carer support.
1% Fundraising 2% Occupancy & Running Costs
EXPENSE
88% Animal Protection Programs
Farmed animal protection It would come as no surprise to our donors that most of our annual expenditure goes directly to supporting ‘farmed’ animal protection and live export programs. Animals raised in food systems suffer in the greatest numbers, and are afforded the least legal protection from cruelty, so these areas are the core of our strategic focus.
Live export As with organisations globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has required changes to some of our international movement and campaigning this financial year. It is a testament to the courage and flexibility of local
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EXPENSE
2019/20
Animal Protection Programs
$11,773,210
88%
$7,168,009
86%
Finance, Governance & Management
$1,167,262
9%
$545,520
7%
Fundraising
$128,706
1%
$279,788
4%
Occupancy & Running Costs
$314,945
2%
$287,165
3%
$13,384,123
100%
$8,280,482
100%
2018/19
22% Australian Bushfire Emergency (Wildlife) investigators in importing countries and the Animals International team that we have been able to maintain investigative operations, capturing evidence of live export cruelty to animals from Australia, Europe and South America, resulting in numerous formal complaints and community action.
ANIMAL PROTECTION PROGRAMS
Fundraising Fundraising and member development encompass appeal activities we conduct to directly support our campaigns and investigations. They grow and strengthen our stewardship programs to ensure that we can secure donations needed to carry out our work. As we receive no government funding, fundraising is critical to our continued operation, and to help expand our programs where animals need us most.
Public outreach and corporate lobbying A vital part of this program work is education, public outreach, corporate and government lobbying. Our strategies ensure that our messages reach as many people as possible, to support our growing community of animal protection advocates and influence decision-makers.
11% Public Outreach & Corporate Lobbying 6% Jordan Zoo Rescue & Bali Dog Meat Trade 6% Live Export 1% Greyhounds, Duck Shooting, Puppy Farming
54% Farmed Animal Welfare
ANIMAL PROTECTION PROGRAMS
2019/20
Farmed Animal Welfare
$6,356,368
54%
$1,731,714
24%
Australian Bushfire Emergency (Wildlife)
$2,581,772
22%
$0
0%
Public Outreach & Corporate Lobbying
$1,264,843
11%
$1,333,045
18%
Jordan Zoo Rescue & Bali Dog Meat Trade
$760,407
6%
$1,297,682
20%
Live Export
$700,839
6%
$2,768,430
37%
Greyhounds, Duck Shooting, Puppy Farming
$108,982
1%
$37,138
1%
$11,773,210
100%
$7,168,009 100%
2018/19
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Never doubt that a small group “of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. ”
Animals Australia Locked Bag 1236, Nth Melbourne VIC 3051,
ACN 617 080 387 ABN 65 016 845 767
Freecall: 1800 888 584
AnimalsAustralia.org
Printed with vegetable based inks on 100% recycled paper
MARGARET MEAD
